Research Guides: Online Resources: St. Louis History, Culture & Environmentalism: Remote Resources

Remote Resources

Overview

For researchers unable to visit the library, this guide provides a survey of St. Louis-area history with fully online sources.

Title available from Internet Archive are available to everyone, but may require a (free) registration in order to access files.
Items listed with a key icon require current Washington University affiliation to log-on.

For in-depth research on complex topics, it is always recommended to consult sources beyond what is available online.

Primary Sources: Digital Repositories

Illinois Digital Heritage Hub
Keyword searchable for cultural heritage resources from across Illinois, including many meto-east St. Louis communities.
Includes photographs, manuscripts / archival materials, books, maps, audio recordings, and videos.
Missouri Digital Heritige
Keyword searchable.
Digitized materials from the Missouri State Archives, the Missouri State Library and other institutions from across the state. Includes materials about St. Louis and other nearby communities in Missouri.
Features books, periodicals, maps, photographs, videos, and online exhibits.
Heartland Hub: DPLA
Keyword searchable.
Digitized materials from Missouri Historical Society (History Museum), St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis University, and other midwest institutions.
Missouri Department of Conservation Film Collection
Historical films produced to inform citizens about protecting and managing the state's forest, fish and wildlife resources. Includes:
A Prairie Should Be Forever (1968)
50 Years of Conservation (1987)
and more
Missouri Disasters - Flood Collection (1790s - 2000s)
Include correspondence, emergency warnings, executive orders, federal publications, histories, House and Senate Journals, maps and blueprints, memoranda, messages, military radio broadcast logs, notes, photographs, postcards, radiograms, relief supply lists, reports, resolutions, special orders, statements, studies, and telegrams
Photos of the 1927 Flood
from the Claude N. Strauser, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Louis District Collection

St. Louis Area Maps (Online)

Digitized maps available freely online from various archives and libraries:

19th Century St. Louis Maps (from Library of Congress)
Historic Maps (from the University of Texas)
St. Louis in 1885, 1912, 1920, and 1970
Maps of St. Louis and Misouri (St. Louis Public Library)
1909 Atlas of city and county (St. Louis County Library)
19th and 20th Century St. Louis, Missouri, and U.S. Maps
From the Mercantile Library, University of Missouri - St. Louis
Guide to the sceneries of St. Louis County, 1852
Includes "Map drawn from nature by Egloffstein & Zwanziger." See catalog record https://catalog.wustl.edu:443/record=b2080819~S2 for more information
The Wayman Map (archived digital site)
Online map showing changes to St. Louis land subdivisions, 1816-1966
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Norbury Wayman developed this map in 1967 from his extensive research into St. Louis public records. It was reproduced in digital form by Washington University in 2001, from an original copy held in the collections of the Missouri Historical Society.
If you have trouble accessing the above link, try this alternate digital archived version:
http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/wayman_map/wayman_map_home

Digitized urban planning maps of St. Louis, from various organizations (in date order).

Note: of the many planning documents in existence, these represent only ones available in full-text online

Map of St. Louis 1947 Plan
from the City of St. Louis, Planning and Urban Design
1947 Comprehensive City Plan with maps
Digital version of the 1947 document, including listing and low-resolution online images of Plates (Maps and Drawings)
Map of St. Louis 1950 Zoning
from the City of St. Louis, Planning and Urban Design
1947 Comprehensive Plan with Maps (PDF)
Scan of bound report via Hathi Trust. Maps included are of higher quality
A Plan for St. Louis (1960)
pdf scan of original full color report with maps (original paper copy also available at University Archives
Map of St. Louis 1974 Contour
from the City of St. Louis, Planning and Urban Design
Single Unit Structure Value Per Block Map (April 1987)
from the City of St. Louis, Planning and Urban Design
East-West Gateway GIS Services
Urban changes 1950-2017. Most maps 2000-present
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City and County of St. Louis Interactive Mapping Resource
Geo St. Louis
Aerial view maps for St. Louis, ward maps, some photographs of locations (dating from circa 2000-present)
St. Louis County Interactive Map Viewer
Includes historic aerial photos in St. Louis County, Missouri from 1937 to 2015.
National Zoning Atlas (2024)
The National Zoning Atlas aims to digitize, demystify, and democratize information currently hidden within ~30,000 U.S. zoning codes.

St. Louis neighborhood maps:

St. Louis Neighborhoods as of 1970
27 historic neighborhoods
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Arlington
Baden - Riverview
Benton Park
Bissell - College Hill
Cabanne
Carondelet
Central Business District
Central West End
Clifton
Compton Heights
Fairgrounds
Grand Prairie
The Hill
Hyde Park
Kingsbury
Lafayette Square
Marquette - Cherokee
Midtown
Morganford
Oak Hill
Oakland
Old North St. Louis
Soulard
Southwest
Tower Grove / Shaw
Walnut Park
Yeatman

Neighborhood Histories by Norbury L. Wayman
Publication Date: 1978
Each of these Neighborhood Histories was written for the St. Louis Community Development Agency in the early 1970's by Norbury Wayman. They provide a detailed viewpoint of the historical neighborhoods from the vantage point of the 1970's -- the information about the current state of individual neighborhoods may not apply today. The 27 historical neighborhoods in this were chosen as being distinctive settings by reason of geography, ethnic or historical characteristics, and historical traits and architecture. Main thoroughfares were used as boundaries.

St. Louis Districts and Landmarks Map, 2013
Detailed map of with street names, indicating historic districts and historic landmarks
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This map is very large
St. Louis Neighborhoods
Contemporary maps and images of St. Louis city neighborhoods
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Academy
Baden
Benton Park
Benton Park West
Bevo Mill
Botanical Heights
Boulevard Heights
Carondelet
Carr Square
Central West End
Cheltenham
Clayton Tamm
Clifton Heights
College Hill
Columbus Square
Compton Heights
Covenant Blu Grand Center
DeBaliviere Place
Downtown
Downtown West
Dutchtown
Ellendale
Fairground
Forest Park Southeast
Fountain Park
Fox Park
Franz Park
Gravois Park
Hamilton Heights
Hi Pointe
Holly Hills
Hyde Park
JeffVanderLou
Kings Oak
Kingsway East
Kingsway West
Kosciusko
Lafayette Square
LaSalle Park
Lewis Place
Lindenwood Park
Marine Villa
Mark Twain
Mark Twain I-70 Industrial
McKinley Heights
Midtown
Mount Pleasant
Near North Riverfront
North Hampton
North Point
North Riverfront
O'Fallon
Old North St. Louis
Patch
Peabody Darst Webbe
Penrose
Princeton Heights
Riverview
Shaw
Skinker DeBaliviere
Soulard
Southampton
Southwest Garden
St. Louis Hills
St. Louis Place
The Gate District
The Greater Ville
The Hill
The Ville
Tiffany
Tower Grove East
Tower Grove South
Vandeventer
Visitation Park
Walnut Park East
Walnut Park West
Wells Goodfellow
West End
Wydown Skinker

Census Data Sets:

Social Explorer
A detailed reference tool for current and historical Census data from 1790 to 2000. Explore Census data visually through the use of interactive data maps and also browse and download Census data in convenient formats for offline processing. Learn more about this database.

Online Oral Histories

Oral Histories from American Lives
Interviews with people in St. Louis about civil rights, protests on WUSTL campus about the Vietnam War, public housing, and LGBTQ organizing.

Secondary Sources: General St. Louis History

African Americans and Jews in the twentieth century : studies in convergence and conflict (1998)
Contains revised version of papers presented at the conference "Blacks and Jews : an American Historical Perspective" held at Washington University in St. Louis in Dec. 1993
Groping toward democracy : African American social welfare reform in St. Louis, 1910-1949 by Dowden-White, Priscilla A
In her place : a guide to St. Louis women's history by Corbett, Katharine T
Lion of the Valley, St. Louis, Missouri by Primm, James Neal
Where we live : a guide to St. Louis communities / Tim Fox (1995)
The other Missouri history : populists, prostitutes, and regular folk (2004)
The politics of urban planning; the East St. Louis experience by Judd, Dennis (1973)
St. Louis: a chronological & documentary history, 1762-1970 by Vexler, Robert I
St. Louis plans : the ideal and the real St. Louis (2007)
The world, the flesh, and the devil : a history of colonial St. Louis by Cleary, Patricia (2011)

Journal of Urban History
- This link opens in a new window
Publication Date: 1974 - 2000
In two databases: 1974-1998 and 1999 - present
Search bar at the top to find articles about "St. Louis" (use quotes in search) AND your topic.
Example: "St. Louis" AND "Lead poisoning"